Alligators found feeding on human remains for second time in Florida
The remains of a 16-year-old boy were pulled from the jaws from an alligator on July Fourth in Florida. Animal expert Jeff Corwin reacts to the disturbing trend.
An animal park in Florida that houses over 2,000 alligators and crocodiles has assured the public that the potentially deadly reptiles won’t escape during Hurricane Dorian.
Mark McHugh, the CEO of Gatorland in Orlando, said in a video posted to Facebook over the weekend that the park was preparing for the storm’s arrival by moving more than 100 birds and mammals, including flamingos, bobcats, panthers and deer, inside protected buildings.
As for its gators and crocs, McHugh said they’d take care of themselves.
HURRICANE DORIAN IS THE STRONGEST STORM TO EVER THREATEN FLORIDA'S EAST COAST, BATTERS BAHAMAS
“Well, folks, they’ve been around for 70 million years, it ain’t their first rodeo with a nasty storm,” he said as nearly two dozen of the sharp-toothed reptiles rested in the water behind him.
He explained how the reptiles would feel the change in the barometric pressure and dive to the bottom of the ponds. Safely submerged, they would sit out the storm, returning to the surface only to stick their nostrils out and take “a little breath every now and then.”
CONTINUING COVERAGE OF HURRICANE DORIAN ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL
Dorian isn’t the first hurricane to threaten the release of captive animals in Florida.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida as a Category 5 storm. Its sustained winds reaching 165 mph ripped the roofs off homes and buildings, including a breeding facility for the Burmese python, allowing for many of exotic snakes to escape their enclosures, according to a CBS News report last year.
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Still, McHugh promised that the animals at Gatorland “will be safe” thanks to staff members who plan to ride out the storm at the park. The staffers will sweep the area once the winds drop below tropical force to make sure none of the areas were breached, he said.
“So, rest assured. You see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool, it ain’t one of ours, all right?” McHugh said.
